Bill Bryson – In his book *A Short History of Nearly EverythingĀ talking about the unlikely appearance of life on the Planet earth perhaps as long ago as 3.85 BILLION years seems to boil it all down to “this natural impulse to assemble.”
I’d say that his book is a MUST READ for anyone who is really interested in popping the cork on the mysterious wonders of our world. I’m not sure you’ll find clarity or answers . . . but I AM sure that you’ll find PERSPECTIVE.
Mankind continues to attempt to figure it all out so that we can control it better. What I have learned from reading this fantastic book is how little the sum of all mankind knows about our Earth, how we became beings . . . It all seems to boil down to Natural Impulse/order out of apparent chaos.
Of course, the “right” ingredients must be present to create new stuff . . . and then the “right” things have to happen . . . and PATIENCE is key.
There was a wait of something on the order of 1 BILLION years between the point at which the right materials to create life were present to the time that anything resembling life actually appeared . . . and then 2.85 (or so) Billion years later, here we are š
As scientific as it all is, there’s one certainty . . . Mankind cannot ‘splain this stuff . . . Yep! God must’ve been noodling around with the stew. Bill Bryson doesn’t mention God . . . nor does he have any notion as to how this planet Earth created what’s here . . . The odds are essentially nil.
Zoom to today . . . Let’s “meet in the middle” of the VERY LARGE (Universe) and the very small (microscopic) and consider how some of the principles of all of this might apply to our own meager (insignificant) lives.
We’re here doing the best we can do with what we have.
Consider this quote from the book:
“the Universe does it readily enough. Lots of molecules in Nature get together to form long chains called polymers. Sugars constantly assemble to form starches. Crystals can do a number of lifelike things – replicate, respond to environmental stimuli, take on a patterned complexity. They’ve neverĀ achievedĀ life itself, of course, but they demonstrate repeatedly that complexity is a natural, spontaneous, entirely commonplace event. There may or may not be a great deal of life in the Universe at large, but there is no shortage of ordered self-assembly, in everything from the transfixing symmetry of snowflakes to the comely rings of Saturn.
WOW!
Complexity
Replication
Spontaneous
Natural
Respond to External Environmental Stimuli
Take on patterned complexity
Ordered self-assembly
Welcome to Planet Earth!
Now! I think it’s true that ALL of this applies to our personal and professional life.
All we’ve gotta learn (us silly humans) is the fine art of “Letting go” of our impulse to control . . . No matter what we do, the assembly will happen.
So . . .
My Labor Day Message:
Quit working so darn hard and practice facilitation of self-organization by inviting the right people with the right passion to take responsibility . . . Ordered self-assembly will simply happen.
Just sayin’
Best,
b
(How’s THAT for a “Business Booster Blog Post”?)